as in poor
belonging to the class of people of middle social or economic rank
She grew up in a middle-class neighborhood, as did most of her classmates.
Related Words
Relevance
Dissimilar Words
as in working class
Related Words
Dissimilar Words
Example Sentences
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to
show current usage.
Read More
Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors.
Send us feedback.
Recent Examples of middle-class
Steven Delco,
Hartford Courant,
29 June 2026
His work was known for its witty dialogue, middle-class characters and emotional accessibility.
—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
27 June 2026
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
25 June 2026
As America’s middle class underwent an unprecedented expansion, African Americans remained subject to discriminatory housing, employment, and banking practices.
—
Hua Hsu,
New Yorker,
22 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for middle-class
Adjective
As artificial intelligence begins to reshape the economy and place downward pressure on many middle-class salaries, the Dutch model may offer important lessons for America’s future.
—
Steven Delco,
Hartford Courant,
29 June 2026
His work was known for its witty dialogue, middle-class characters and emotional accessibility.
—
Naman Ramachandran,
Variety,
27 June 2026
Noun
As compared to shinier entries—1995’s S&S, 1996’s P&P mini-series; the Bridgerton universe—Joe Wright’s take on Austenland caught both flack and favor for rendering the Bennets as obviously lower middle class.
—
Brittany Allen,
Literary Hub,
25 June 2026
As America’s middle class underwent an unprecedented expansion, African Americans remained subject to discriminatory housing, employment, and banking practices.
—
Hua Hsu,
New Yorker,
22 June 2026
See All Example Sentences for middle-class
Recent Examples of Synonyms for middle-class
Adjective
-
Overflowing poor drainage areas in urban areas of northwest Hickory and in the Northlakes area of Caldwell County.
-
There was a lot of poor decision-making with this match, on and off the pitch.
Noun
-
Sade’s debut is a pristine work of professional studio craft just like all their subsequent releases, but Diamond Life was made by a working class band that had spent years gigging in the clubs of London.
-
This is about working class voters, working class, working class.
Adjective
-
In sharp contrast to the first-generation members of the Frankfurt School, Habermas came from a petit-bourgeois, culturally conservative Protestant milieu, his family name going back to sixteenth-century Thuringian cobblers.
-
Their attempts to destroy the bourgeois family were, like the efforts of Suzanna’s mother and grandmother, ambivalent and half-hearted.
Noun
-
For a long time, the lifestyles and foibles of the modest bourgeoisie were a mainstay of art-house cinema, with urbane, upscale audiences happy to turn out to see versions of their own lives depicted on the screen.
-
The town next door, Maplewood, built walls and created one-way streets to direct the flow of traffic coming in and out of Newark and Irvington to protect its fading notion bourgeoisie exclusivity.
Adjective
-
As for the volunteers, the goal is simple—help someone stay safe before the heat turns into an emergency.
-
Evidence for at-home tools is thinner than for professional manual drainage, but the simplest options can offer mild circulation and surface-lymph support at a low price.
Adjective
-
Salted and preserved fish and meats, including bacon, sausage, liver pudding and offal, were staples of working-class people's diets, while the upper classes indulged in such luxuries as white flour and sugar.
-
Was came from a working-class industrial city, making music reflective of Detroit’s technological upheaval and economic neglect.
Cite this Entry
“Middle-class.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/middle-class. Accessed 7 Jul. 2026.
Copy CitationLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
